Dispatches since 2005
The journal
Announcements, new editions, travel, diving, cooking and the working life of a novelist — 3,174 entries, all of them here in full.
July 4, 2020 · 92 words
independence
We decided to do a big Fourth of July celebration, just the two of us, in part because we need cheering up. So I put on a patriotic aloha shirt, with US Navy ships on it, then made some lovely, tender sous vide ribs, collard greens, and sweet corn, and there will be ice cream […]
Read entry →June 26, 2020 · 196 words
No Two Alike!
I’ve been spending recent days signing my name over and over again, signature sheets for the forthcoming Best of Walter Jon Williams from Subterranean Press. It’s an edition of 1000, but I have to sign something like 1500 sheets, because mistakes can happen in production and sometimes my signature sucks a lot more than
Read entry →June 25, 2020 · 140 words
Taos Toolbox 2021
I’m very sad to announce that Taos Toolbox 2020, which had moved from June to September due to the dangers of Covid 19, has now been moved to summer of 2021. Those accepted for this year have the option of coming next year instead, or getting a tuition refund. The coronavirus doesn’t look as if […]
Read entry →June 18, 2020 · 256 words
Terran Prize Awarded
The Terran Prize for 2020, consisting of a scholarship provided by George R.R. Martin for the Taos Toolbox writing workshop, has been won by Maurice Haeems of Mumbai, India. Taos Toolbox was forced by the Covid pandemic to move from its original June dates to September 6-19, in Angel Fire, New Mexico. The workshop will
Read entry →June 15, 2020 · 47 words
From Our Beleaguered Agents . . .
A group of literary agents have released a plea to the public to “stop sending us your Covid novels!” Turns out that there’s not a lot of drama inherent in a story where people stay at home, watch a lot of TV, and never meet anyone else.
Read entry →June 11, 2020 · 1,286 words
Month Nine
It’s been nine months since my hip replacement surgery, and I haven’t done an update since November 25. (Here’s the last one.) I haven’t done an update because (1) it’s a depressing topic, and (2) nothing much has changed. But it may serve as an illustration of medical services in the age of Covid, so […]
Read entry →June 4, 2020 · 495 words
First Things First
I’m isolated in my rural paradise, but it’s not like I don’t read the news. Ten days of protest in major cities, property destruction (a certain percentage at the hands of police provocateurs), police in one place sitting down with protestors for a productive dialogue, police in another charging peaceful protestors for
Read entry →May 26, 2020 · 276 words
Stimulus
Our stimulus check arrived— or rather not a check, but a debit card on the U.S. Treasury. Apparently it’s legit. I’m still working and my business hasn’t shut down, and Kathy is comfortably retired. We’re not rich, but we’re doing well enough. We don’t need the money and didn’t ask for it, and we’re self-isolatin
Read entry →May 16, 2020 · 1,184 words
Idiot Box for the Isolated
Here in my isolated rural paradise I’ve been watching a lot more video than I usually do, and— for some damn reason— doing a lot less reading. The least I can do is share my online encounters. Safe and The Stranger, both on Netflix. Two of Harlan Coben’s thrillers (which I haven’t read) have been shifted fr
Read entry →May 9, 2020 · 69 words
Mom’s Day
A hundred years ago there used to be a musical genre about how much people loved their mothers, M.O.T.H.E.R. being one of the big hits. There are still songs about moms, but they’re not regulars on the Hit Parade the way they used to be. Here’s a song that’s only tangentially about mothers, but I […]
Read entry →May 8, 2020 · 262 words
Lockdown Spirits
Apparently the spirits are as tired of the lockdown as everyone else, because they’ve been getting restless. We’ve been having an outbreak of strange spectral noises. For the last few weeks, I’ve heard mysterious knocking noises at night, between 11pm and midnight. It doesn’t happen every night, but it happens enough t
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